For the past 4 years I have endured long commutes due to the fact that I live out in the middle of small town Texas. Pretty much everywhere I go it takes at least half an hour to get there without traffic. With traffic, forget about it. Recently, I have added one more place to go and I believe this is the longest commute yet. It gets quite boring in the car by yourself. Because of this I’m always looking for new music to listen to and when that gets boring I tend to “radio hop” from station to station. Eventually, all the stations end up on commercials at the same time.

If you’re in the same mental traffic jam that I am, here are a couple of ways to entertain yourself and also increase productivity during your commute! Win win!

Create your to-do list for the day

So you're on your way to work, thinking about all the stuff you need to get done that day, just wishing you could have someone else in the car with you to write down your mental to do list (because you’re responsible and you would never create a to do list on your phone while driving). Well, there is a solution to your problem! Apps like Wunderlist, Evernote, and Dragon Dictation have voice recording capabilities that can take down your thoughts while you’re driving. Here’s a plus: Wunderlist and Evernote can share your lists with other devices as well! Now the possibilities are endless! Go ahead and create your grocery list and your Christmas list while you’re at it.

Take a meeting

Most cars these days come with bluetooth, making it easier for drivers to make phone calls without even touching their phones. It’s pretty awesome. Take advantage of this feature while you’re stuck in traffic by making any calls you need to make. This allows you to attend to customer/client needs without any interruptions (hopefully you’re not interrupted in traffic). If you arrive at your destination before your call is done, just take the call on your phone and walk and talk. Don’t run into anything mid-sentence though.

“Read” a book

This is an exciting moment. I have finally figured out the purpose of audio books! I have never really liked audio books simply because I have a hard time paying attention. I get distracted and all of a sudden I’ve missed a whole section and I have to go back. That being said, an audio book would be highly useful while sitting in a car with nothing else to do! Bonus productivity points if it’s a self help book.

Learn a language

You may have found that you’d like to do/know more in life, but you just don’t have the time for it. Learning a language during you’re long commutes could be the answer to that problem! Apps like Duolingo make learning a new language feel like a game. Most of these are better suited for commutes on buses or trains, not when you’re driving, but there are resource out there like AccellaStudy that support hands-free learning!

There you go! Hope you’re commute becomes more enjoyable and most importantly, more productive!